D&D 5E Running High Level 5E is more fun than I thought it would be.

[DND_Reborn]

I largely in agreement, but this experience anyway has made me rethink my "no play past 9th" rule.

It all just depends on your tastes. When a single 20th-level Wizard can defeat the Tarrasque, that goes beyond what I want for myself. Still, I think it is awesome that the game is capable of playing to such a varied level of tastes.

 

[Reynard]

I think it halps that I am running using Fantasy Grounds. It keeps track of conditions and concentration and adds all those damage dice and overall takes a lot of the heavy lifting off me as DM so I can concentrate on trying to murder the high level PCs with horrible monsters from beyond time and space.

 

[Oofta]

I also think 5E is easier to run high level campaigns than previous editions, and I ran my 4E campaign to 30th and to the teens in other editions.

But I do have some house rules that minimize the effectiveness of certain spells. Planar travel only occurs at gateways for example. So unless you're a god you have to find a gate to get to Jotunheim. You have to cross cross the Bifrost bridge to get to Asgard. Creating a gate is not simple so you aren't going to be sending that demon back with a simple Banishment spell unless you are close to a gate. You also aren't going to just plane shift back home if you're in Jotunheim to fight that demon on his home turf.

In large part I did that because of other campaign reasons and the same logic applied to previous editions as well. It has the side effect of limiting the capability of PCs to permanently send monsters away with the snap of their fingers.

High level play also feels different, but I think it should be. At high levels, the PCs are some of the greatest heroes in the world and the campaign should reflect that.

 

[robus]

It all just depends on your tastes. When a single 20th-level Wizard can defeat the Tarrasque, that goes beyond what I want for myself. Still, I think it is awesome that the game is capable of playing to such a varied level of tastes.

A tarrasque is waiting for my party (encased in an object they want to retrieve). Fortunately the wizard is not with the party. It should hopefully be interesting.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Well, without the wizard I am sure you'll have a good time! One thing I can't believe they didn't give the Tarrasque is regeneration. Like 20 or 30 points at the start of it's turn would be reasonable IMO.

 

[TheDelphian]

I ran a one through twenty campaign two years ago and it was a blast.

I did make sure that the campaign climax was after they gained twenty so they could have fun being 20th level for a session or two before the end. I have been in games were you maxed out right before the big bad fight at the campaign end and didn't get to play with your new toys you had waited so long for..

I did craft a lot of monsters but that was more tailoring the game to current plot. I needed big threats to challenge the players and nothing in the books was all that useful at the time. I built paragiants which was taking what a Mephit could do and applying it to a giant (I think stone was my base) It worked out very well and was easy to create without taking to deep a dive into CR and all.

 

[Shiroiken]

Unlike the last several editions, high level play is actually fun in 5E. The last edition that did this IMO was 1E, because it was designed to have unlimited levels. I ran a 1E campaign to levels 30-36 (xp varied by class), and I've ran a 5E campaign to level 18. Both were a lot of fun, and both took several years to achieve (the 1E one was longer, obviously).

 

[Iry]

A Terrasque with 20 Levels of Sorcerer is always fun.
Basically Behemoth from Worm.

Spoiler

 

[Hoffmand]

My group is having fun with epic boons at level 35ish.

 

[TwoSix]

Yea, I think the concern over high level going to the "OMG" point is a little overstated for 5e, especially in tier 3 (levels 11-16). Casters only get 1 6th, 1 7th, and 1 8th level slot by 16th, and while those spell levels are very strong, certainly encounter warping, none of them are trivializing (with the possible exception of simulacrum).